I couldn't find a good place to post this comment, so I thought I would start this thread. I'm sure there will be various preseason rankings coming out over the next week or two.

I've been following ProfootballTalk's Pre-Season Power Rankings the past few days and was surprised they've made it from #32 to #27 without listing the Redskins so far (most of the lazy preseason rankings I bet will land us at like #30.):

32. Raiders31. Dolphins30. Titans29. Jaguars28. Bills27. Vikings

What do you think? Will we be #26 tomorrow? Or did we gain a little more respect with our draft and DJax? Do you think we'll be the lowest ranked team in the NFC East?

"I’m never under the assumption that you draft for need. You draft the best available football player on the board. ... Because, in the long run, they are the ones who will help you win the most games." - Scot McCloughan

And based on our record last year, we should be until we prove otherwise, not that you're disagreeing with that. We should get some cred for winning the division two years ago and having addressed a lot of the issues we had from last year in the offseason and the bogus cap penalty ending. But out of the bottom 5 and into the next 5 sounds right to me. I don't want any favors, we need to earn respect.

Groucho: Man does not control his own fate. The women in his life do that for him

Proverb: Failure is not falling down. Failure is not getting up again

Twain: A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way

KazooSkinsFan wrote:And based on our record last year, we should be until we prove otherwise, not that you're disagreeing with that. We should get some cred for winning the division two years ago and having addressed a lot of the issues we had from last year in the offseason and the bogus cap penalty ending. But out of the bottom 5 and into the next 5 sounds right to me. I don't want any favors, we need to earn respect.

I do understand and agree with what you're saying. If all these pundits are doing with their preseason rankings is just looking at last year's record though and regurgitating them, there really isn't much to talk about. I like to see if people are being lazy or really doing some in depth analysis on what team's did in the offseason, why was their record good or bad last year, etc;

I think we will be better this year than last year. I REALLY think without a doubt we'll be better than the Cowboys. All that said, you're completely right that its up to the team to go out and prove it.

The overview: The head coach and QB are generally the two most important people in an NFL organization. The future rankings for Washington in those categories dropped by a combined 31 spots from one year ago, by far the worst figure in the league. That includes a league-worst, 19-spot drop to No. 27 in coaching. Robert Griffin III, although healthy roughly 18 months after knee surgery, has only lost ground in terms of perception. Could this be a case of addition by subtraction? The previous coaching situation had become untenable. The QB situation, however, could be seen as a strength, with Kirk Cousins backing up a healthy Griffin. --Mike Sando

The dilemma: The Skins have a new direction in the front office, with Bruce Allen actually being responsible for talent acquisition, and a rookie head coach who, depending whom you ask, is not going to be missed by the team he left. Gruden needs to show he can get RG III to be the passer from the pocket everyone claims he can become, which will mean getting Washington's big offseason addition, DeSean Jackson, on the same page as the QB quickly. Defensively, I don't see the signings of UFAs Jason Hatcher and Ryan Clark being enough to spearhead the necessary improvement. --Louis Riddick

The youth movement: The safety of RG III is reliant upon Trent Williams and … not much else. There was simply no team in the NFL with such a talent discrepancy on the O-line last year. Williams is all-world, but the Skins are lacking talent across the board elsewhere, which is why 2014 picks Morgan Moses (OT) and Spencer Long (G) could be pivotal. It wouldn't surprise me if both started at some point as rookies. If Washington can at least make the talent imbalance on the O-line not as striking, the franchise -- that means the QB, too -- will benefit greatly. --Mel Kiper

The analysts rated every team in five categories -- Roster (excluding quarterback), QB, Draft, Front Office and Coaching -- and the results were then averaged and weighted to create our final 1-32 Future Power Ranking. For more detail on the categories and weighting, please refer to the chart at right.

#23 from PFT. I actually think that's pretty fair. Believe that we're going to be better than we were last year, had a decent offseason, healthier RGIII. But we still have to see how this is all going to come together. Here's the full report:

The Redskins took a major step backward in 2013 and they blew things up as a result.

Jay Gruden is the new head coach, with the team hoping that his offensive mind can totally relegate former coach Mike Shanahan and his icy relationship with quarterback Robert Griffin III to the fringes of memories. Griffin’s play could also do that as he’s had an entire offseason to work after rehabbing from a knee injury during the spring last year.

Dysfunction and lingering injuries weren’t the only reasons things went south for the Redskins last year, though. The defense was a mess and the changes on that side of the ball were not particularly dramatic, while the team also gave away far too many yards and points on special teams.

The potential for a repeat of 2012 certainly exists, but, based on their spot at No. 23, PFT’s panel needs to see more than potential to buy into the Redskins.

Strengths.

Signing DeSean Jackson was the latest addition to a receiving corps that should be much improved over last season. Pierre Garcon returns, tight end Jordan Reed should be healthy after last year’s concussions and Andre Roberts joined the team as a free agent. That’s more than Griffin had to work with as a rookie and should make his efforts as a passer easier than in past years.

Running back Alfred Morris is also back, giving the Redskins enviable potential balance on offense this season. If all goes according to plan, defenses will find it hard to keep an eye on everyone Washington rolls on the field.

Linebacker Brian Orakpo re-signed with the team and he’ll rejoin with Ryan Kerrigan to give the Redskins a strong pair of outside linebackers. If Jason Hatcher can repeat the pass rush he gave the Cowboys last season, Washington should be very effective at pressuring quarterbacks.

Left tackle Trent Williams remains one of the best in the league at his position and gives the Redskins an anchor as they build the rest of their offensive line.

Weaknesses.

The Redskins didn’t look that strong at safety when Tanard Jackson was in the mix and they aren’t looking any better in light of his latest suspension. The best hope is that Ryan Clark can push back father time and Brandon Meriweather avoids injury long enough for 2013 picks Bacarri Rambo and Phillip Thomas to come into their own.

It would help the Redskins if cornerback David Amerson did the same thing in his second season. Old hands DeAngelo Hall and Tracy Porter will likely hold prominent roles, but the team needs Amerson to develop into a shutdown player on one side for their defense to reach its full potential.

Williams is a great left tackle, but the Redskins aren’t quite as lucky along the rest of the line. Kory Lichtensteiger is moving from guard to center, right guard is unsettled and the team picked Morgan Moses in the third round to give them an option other than Tyler Polumbus at right tackle.

Hatcher’s arrival should be a plus, but his offseason knee troubles are a bit of a concern since the rest of the Redskins defensive ends are an unimpressive lot.

Changes.

Gruden replacing Shanahan as head coach (and, for all intents and purposes, Kyle Shanahan as offensive coordinator) is by far the biggest change in Washington this offseason. Every coaching change is significant, of course, but this one feels even bigger because of how bad things got between Griffin and Shanahan last season.

Griffin has been spreading nothing but sunshine about the switch and the Redskins are hopeful that his knee will respond to a full offseason of work as well as he has responded to Shanahan’s departure. The quality of the skill position players around him should help.

The Redskins didn’t change defensive coordinators, but there’s been a lot of talk about a more aggressive approach from Jim Haslett’s unit this season. That should fit with the outside linebackers and help defensive tackle Barry Cofield rebound, although the defensive backfield could be stretched if they’re left out on islands.

Ben Kotwica is the new special teams coach and he’ll be charged with turning around units that struggled badly last season.

Camp Battles.

London Fletcher has brought his long career to an end, leaving an opening at inside linebacker next to Perry Riley. Keenan Robinson, Darryl Sharpton, Akeem Jordan and Adam Hayward are all options with Robinson potentially the favorite if he’s over his torn pectoral.

Roberts was signed to play receiver, but Jackson’s arrival opens up the possibility that he could become the team’s primary kick returner. Rookie Lache Seastrunk would be another option for the role.

Chris Chester will try to hold onto the right guard job against challenges from Josh LeRibeus and third-round pick Spencer Long. The right choice there could help mitigate any right tackle issues.

Prospects.

The NFC East title has been a revolving door in recent seasons as the four teams generally muck their way through the regular season before someone grabs a 9-7 record in Week 17.

It is easy to see why the Redskins would believe they could return to the top of the food chain this season. Every report on Griffin’s health is positive, his supporting cast is stronger and the darkness that hung over Shanahan last season has been expunged.

At the same time, though, there’s not much about the Redskins that makes them a sure bet to be better than last year’s also-rans in Dallas and New Jersey or the defending division champs in Philly. The defense needs to be much better and we’ll still need to see Griffin’s play match the offseason reviews, for starters.

Should that happen, a return to the playoffs may not be out of reach but the Redskins will need to show that the stink of last year has been totally eradicated before the bandwagon starts to fill up.

KazooSkinsFan wrote:And based on our record last year, we should be until we prove otherwise, not that you're disagreeing with that. We should get some cred for winning the division two years ago and having addressed a lot of the issues we had from last year in the offseason and the bogus cap penalty ending. But out of the bottom 5 and into the next 5 sounds right to me. I don't want any favors, we need to earn respect.

I do understand and agree with what you're saying. If all these pundits are doing with their preseason rankings is just looking at last year's record though and regurgitating them, there really isn't much to talk about. I like to see if people are being lazy or really doing some in depth analysis on what team's did in the offseason, why was their record good or bad last year, etc;

I think we will be better this year than last year. I REALLY think without a doubt we'll be better than the Cowboys. All that said, you're completely right that its up to the team to go out and prove it.

Even if you do the research, we have a couple of big question marks, and they are the usual suspects, the secondary and the o-line. I don't understand why our o-line was so bad last year when in 2012 they seemed to be coming together and improving. Morris can't create his own holes and if RG3 is running for his life like last year it's hard to complete passes no matter how good the receivers are. And if our secondary gets shredded like last year, especially on 3rd down, it keeps the ball out of RG3's hands and it's hard to maintain momentum when you are sitting for so long between possessions.

On the other hand, if the O-line does improve, we could put some serious points on the board. And if we can generate a pass rush we can protect the secondary, at least to a degree. We have to do it though. Another question mark is Haslett, he's presided over some bad D. Was it Shannahan tying his hands? All this is only going to be answered on the field.

Groucho: Man does not control his own fate. The women in his life do that for him

Proverb: Failure is not falling down. Failure is not getting up again

Twain: A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way

I agree with Kaz - there's not really a lot to look forward to when you consider the main reasons for a 3-13 record were basically a very bad O line and a defense that did not perform well AND that both those units are not significantly better at this time

Even if all the parts of the offense are healthy and ready to go, there's no way you can predict a good offensive unit without having an effective offensive line

And the defensive secondary is still a big concern

I'm looking for some improvement but it's sad to say that we're more likely to be competitive in the NFC East because of the other teams than that this Redskins team is much improved

IMO we're going to be OK but we have to replace everyone except Trent on the offensive line and we need to get better in our secondary

Nobody really expects the Redskins to do well - 8 wins is a winning season with Dan Snyder Since 1999, 19 seasons 132-171-1 - this is an average of less than 7 wins per season

KazooSkinsFan wrote:Even if you do the research, we have a couple of big question marks, and they are the usual suspects, the secondary and the o-line. I don't understand why our o-line was so bad last year when in 2012 they seemed to be coming together and improving.

Yeah I know exactly what you're saying. If you remember in 2012 though, they were supposed to be a bad o-line going into the season. Seems safe to say in hindsight that RGIII's amazing rookie year took a lot of heat off them.

I've heard people argue that the offensive line wasn't as bad as reported last year, but these numbers on Alfred Morris last year kind of tell a different story:

While the numbers go on Morris’ stat sheet, anyone who watched the games last year knows that he was hardly to blame for many of the issues. Frequently, Morris couldn’t get going due to predicable play calling and/or suspect blocking. He gained one, zero, or negative yards on 48 of his first-down carries. If you take out the zero-yard and negative plays his average would jump to 6.0 yards per carry. The takeaway here is that if they can give Morris a fighting chance to get moving forward they can find themselves in second and four a lot more often than they face second and 12.

riggofan wrote:I've heard people argue that the offensive line wasn't as bad as reported last year

I know, I find that staggering having watched the games. They were just getting crushed play after play. RG3 got thrown around like a rag doll. Morris ran into wall after wall. They were terrible. That doesn't mean each lineman was terrible, it doesn't take five guys to screw up, just one.

Groucho: Man does not control his own fate. The women in his life do that for him

Proverb: Failure is not falling down. Failure is not getting up again

Twain: A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way